


The Flower from Midgar

by Arthemis_Silverheart



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Drama, F/M, First Love Prevails, Lost Love, Romance, Tragedy, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-26
Updated: 2016-08-26
Packaged: 2018-08-11 03:38:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7874713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arthemis_Silverheart/pseuds/Arthemis_Silverheart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cloud cannot forget the woman he loved in his youth and pursues her in the dangerous city of Midgar. Will he be able to prove to himself that nothing is too late in the name of love?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Flower from Midgar

Honesty. Truth. Lies. False hopes.

For Cloud Strife, every single day was a battle. Every single dazzling smile his girlfriend of six years gave me, pierced his heart like a sharp knife. He couldn't afford to tell any more lies. Tifa was a good woman, and what a good woman deserved, he couldn't deliver. _Yes, honesty over lies. Man up, Cloud._

"What a surprise, Cloud!" Tifa exclaimed, ushering him insider her humble abode. "Sit down and I'll brew your favorite coffee."

"Thanks." He replied.

_Man up, Cloud Strife. Man up, Cloud Strife. Man up, Cloud Strife._

His body trembled. _You can do this._

The strong aroma of the coffee filled her apartment, making his stomach churn. In his haste, Cloud had forgotten to eat. Ever loving and ever supportive, Tifa served him hot coffee with two fresh bagels.

"Your favorite." She smiled and pecked his cheek with a kiss.

Tifa's smile was one of her greatest assets. His male friends cheered how lucky Cloud was to have a loving and beautiful girlfriend, yet the cheers and envy weren't enough to placate his guilt.

He had lied to her for the past six years. Tifa deserved better.

"I need to break up with you."

Tifa unflinching, dropped the bagel she was about to eat. After a long minute or two, she found her voice. "It took you long enough to make that choice." She replied, hoping her voice didn't betray the turmoil brewing in her heart.

Cloud looked sullen, oblivious to her pain. "I… I just didn't want to make you feel horrible."

She arched her brow. "You don't want to make me horrible?" Tifa laughed. "Are you speaking about yourself, Cloud?"

He couldn't look at her in the eyes, knowing he would fall into the deeper pits of despair. His guilt, gnawing his heart. "I'm a horrible guy, Tifa. I… I lied to you. I told you I would forget about her."

"You couldn't." She confirmed.

She looked at the handsome young man who dejectedly sat in front of her. He didn't lie. He was a horrible boyfriend to her. She had his physical body, but his heart…. His heart was taken by another. That was the worst. To believe one could make someone forget another person.

Tifa smirked, realizing the irony of their situation. _You're a horrible girlfriend too. You could have spared yourself the agony of a one-sided relationship… plus, you didn't tell him about the letters…._

She reached for his trembling hands. "You don't need to apologize."

"It's just that… I wasted six years of your life."

She tightened her grip. "Try to be an optimist, Cloud." She responded cheerfully. "If there's one thing I learned from our six years together, it's that one-sided relationships are difficult to work out. It takes two to tango, right?"

Cloud flushed red. "I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing, please." Looking at her now ex-boyfriend, she wondered what had attracted her to this spineless man with the face of an angel.

"What are your plans now?" she asked.

He removed his hands from hers. "I'm going to Midgar."

"You're going after her?"

"Yes."

Tifa's laughter broke the seriousness of their conversation. "Six years and it's still all about her, Cloud?"

He nodded.

She tried to hold the tears. She couldn't cry. She wouldn't allow him to see her cry. She didn't want Cloud to feel sorry for herself. She had enough of his pity. She had enough of his second-rate affections. She wanted him to give his whole being and heart for her. She wouldn't settle for anything less.

The problem was, he couldn't give those to her. She deluded herself that he would move on. She was, in fact, fighting a losing battle for six years. It was time to let him go.

_The ship has sunk, Tifa. No use in trying to stay in sunken ship._

She stood up from her seat and asked him to stand. Standing, Tifa twined her arms around his neck, playing with the buttons on his shirt. "Cloud," she whispered. "Shall we do it once last time, before you go…Please?"

Cloud held her arms and kissed her passionately. If there was one thing she knew she had, first rate, it was his attention to love-making. Savoring his kisses and his embrace, Tifa wanted the memories to burn in his mind forever.

"Please… don't forget me… don't forget this night." She gasped as Cloud labored on top of her. "Promise me, Cloud."

"I won't… Tifa!" he screamed and poured inside of her.

Dazed, she kissed his cheek and wondered if the experience would be different if he returned her affections. Feeling tired, she closed her eyes, only to be awaken by the noise coming from her shower room.

Cloud was already dressed when she made up her bed. _Should I tell him?_

She could make his journey miserable for the six miserable years they had. He could get lost in the large and dangerous city of Midgar. One wrong turn at the wrong place at the wrong time could cost him his life.

Cloud approached her and motioned her to continue sleeping. "You should rest, Tifa."

"I wanted to see you go."

"Don't make it hard for you."

For once, he said something true. Cloud never claimed his feelings and fears, choosing to project them to her instead.

" _I don't want to hurt you Tifa."_

" _I'm scared of hurting you Tifa."_

She made up her mind. Honesty begat honesty. One man's death would haunt her for the rest of her life.

"She's in Sector 6 at the Honey Bee District."

Cloud froze, hearing her statement. "You… knew where she was all along?"

"Just recently." She admitted. "We exchanged letters for some time now."

"Why haven't you told me?"

"She asked me not to."

He looked hurt, as if he disbelieved her. "Don't give me that look. I'm actually giving you a favor. I could have shut my mouth and let you get lost in Midgar. You could have died before finding her."

Cloud looked at her for a long time before acknowledging her help. "Thank you, Tifa."

Cloud was about to close the door when her words stopped him. "I just want you to know that she's no longer the same Aerith we knew, Cloud."

He glanced at her. "That won't stop me."

"What happens when you realize it's too late to be with her?"

It was the closest she was to pleading. She didn't want to beg him to stay and abandon his plans. She hated it.

He smiled at her, dashing her last hope to be with him. "Nothing is too late."

The door shut, a sharp reminder that he had finally closed himself from her. The movements of the clock echoed, breaking the ominous silence. She curled into a ball and hugged the pillow with Cloud's lingering scent.

_What did you expect, Tifa? You were the one who was hot for him when he was hot for another._

Seconds later, the tears spilled and she finally allowed the grief and pain to consume her.

**Author's Note:**

> AUTHOR'S NOTE:
> 
> This too, was originally posted in FF.net, and in my desire to maintain the integrity of the story in line with its mature content, I transferred it here.
> 
> This story was inspired from a popular song in my country called "Magda" by Gloc 9. I created an original story out of the song, and decided to combine it with elements from FF7. I always loved the Cloud x Aerith pairing, hence, this fic.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!


End file.
